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Judging the Impact of the Reformation
Future generations tend to possess greater insight into the impact of significant movements throughout history. With the advantage of seeing the events in hindsight, such movements may be analyzed and considered based on their both benefits and drawbacks. The Protestant Reformation is such a movement which may be considered with the advantage of future knowledge. To properly judge the impact of the Reformation, one must consider both positive and negative impacts, of which there certainly subsist both. Three primary areas of impact that should be considered are 1) the Reformation’s impact on congregational worship participation, 2) division in the church, and 3) exaggerated reform beyond what was necessary at the time. The positive and negative impacts of the Reformation aid in rightly judging its impact on the church both during its era and in the centuries to come.
Congregational Worship
Participation
An apparent
impact of the Protestant Reformation is that which it has had on congregational
worship. Prior to the Reformation, worship participation through singing was
not only discouraged but not allowed in the church. The Reformation, however,
brought positive changes to Christian worship by encouraging congregational
participation through singing (Mac, 2020, p. 15), prayer, and the public
reading of Scripture. “Emphasis on vernacular language opened the Bible and
theology to the common man” (Mac, 2020, p. 30). While the Holy Scripture was
set in vernacular languages prior to the Reformation, the publication of the
Luther Bible in 1534[1]
enjoyed the most popularity among Christians. Martin Luther (1483-1546 AD)
employed action on what was seemingly a tipping point in church history; rather
than claiming sole responsibility for reform in the church, Luther aided in the
spread of Reformation thought and action.
Congregational
participation became vital to Christian worship during the Reformation. While
Catholics have loosened their own regulations on congregational participation
today, the concept grew during the Reformation.
The establishment
of an enduring choral tradition is one of the hallmarks of the Lutheran
Reformation. One of the key motivators for the development of such a
distinctive devotional tradition that placed music and singing at the
center of its worship and teaching was undoubtedly the personal affinity Martin
Luther had for music (Loewe, 2013, p. 69).
Luther, a hymn-writer himself, wrote
texts and composed tunes designed for congregational participation in the
vernacular language, i.e. German for himself and his congregants. In fact,
Luther’s excommunication from the Catholic Church likely gave him greater
opportunity to employ such congregational participation among his future
congregants.
The
goal of Christian worship among Protestants during the Reformation was active
participation with a focus on the teaching of Scripture. For the Reformers,
right Christian worship implied a return to the centrality of Scripture (Mac,
2020, p. 29). Luther’s goal was not a chasm within the church but a reform of
what was practiced and a return to the purity of Christian faith. In fact, the
division occurring during the Reformation saddened Martin Luther. Nonetheless,
with the Reformation already in motion, it was too late to correct its course.
Thus, reform came from the Protestants rather than the Catholics. The teaching
of the Bible, i.e. the sermon became the central focus of Christian worship,
whereas Catholic worship took on a more sacramental nature. In fact, the
Lutheran model only kept two of the sacraments instead of the seven employed by
Catholics: Communion and Baptism (Maag, 2017). Even the Lutheran Mass itself
did not utilize all five parts of the Ordinary but only the Kyrie and
the Gloria. J.S. Bach’s (1685-1750 AD) famed B-Minor Mass is
significant in that the composer includes all five parts of the Mass Ordinary,
although he was Lutheran himself. In such changes, it is evident that the
Reformation gave rise to the centrality of Scripture and a move away from
strict legalism and formality in Christian worship.
The Reformation saw necessary shifts in Christian worship in the way of congregational participation. Where worship participation was previously reserved for the elite, educated, and only church leaders, the Reformation’s impact on Christian worship has been significant. Even now congregational participation seems to be typical and was eventually adopted by Catholics. Although no longer distinctly Protestant, the Bible taught in the vernacular language, songs sung by the congregation in the vernacular language, and congregational participation is a drastic impact of the Reformation and one that Luther (among other Reformers) saw to be necessary.
Further Division in the
Church
A seemingly
negative impact of the Reformation is the vast division caused. Even for Luther,
when he returned to Wittenberg from Wartburg Castle, “he found the reform had
moved more quickly and radically than desired or could be sustained” (Mac,
2020, p. 24). Luther’s goal, when he posted his 95 Theses to the church door in
Wittenberg (1517 AD), was not to divide the church but rather to unify her by
reform, i.e. return to the basics of Christian faith. “The most important
distinction for Luther’s political thought was between the lower and the higher
capacities of man (nature and reason) on the one hand and grace and revelation
on the other” (Mac, 2020, p. 24). Perhaps, Luther lived during a time when
enough people were ready for change that his qualms with Rome began an
unexpected movement throughout Europe. In an unfortunate sense, however, the
church as known at the time, became perhaps further divided than ever before.
Certainly, reform was necessary in
certain areas. For example, the disallowance of priestly
marriage was challenged by Luther, as he eventually married as a Protestant. In
this area, Luther’s impact continued through future generations. Of John
Calvin’s (1509-1564 AD) marital covenant, John Witte Jr. writes:
Building on a generation of Protestant
reforms before him, Calvin constructed a comprehensive new theology and law
that made marital formation and dissolution, children’s nurture and welfare,
family cohesion and support, and sexual sin and crime essential concerns for both
church and state. He drew the Consistory and Council of Geneva into a creative
new alliance to guide and govern the reformation of the domestic sphere (Witte,
2018, p. 282).
One
might question, however, whether the necessity for reform was more important
than the necessity of unity. Church history reveals that from the point of the
Protestant Reformation, the church has continually divided into more sects with
finer distinctions than their predecessors. Secondary issues have become
primary issues in many cases and have seemed to cause further division in the
body of Christ. Believers should consider the benefits of the Reformation but
also the costs and if they were worth the outcome.
Reformers challenged a plurality of thoughts exuded by the Roman Catholic Church during the Reformation, many of them giving their lives for doing so; yet, the desired reforms were necessary. Perhaps, the cost of reform (namely division in the church), however, could have been avoided. One may only speculate if another solution could have been employed rather than total separation from the Catholic Church. In fact, what occurred because of the Reformation does not seem to represent the New Testament and 1st-century church. With all the positive impacts of the Reformation, the further division in the body of Christ, which the movement brought, is among the least desired outcomes.
Exaggerated Reform
beyond What Was Necessary
Martin
Luther understood the necessity of church reform, which is why he challenged
the Catholic Church with not only the posting of his 95 Theses but also his
teachings and sermons. When he discovered the drastic consequence the movement
had in Wittenberg and across Europe, however, he grew discouraged, for what
seemed to be overreach was not what he desired. “Reformation in
Switzerland emphasized elements other than those championed by Luther. Far from
being monolithic, the Protestant Reformation spawned many offshoots” (Mac,
2020, p. 9). In what would seem to be greater division and separation not only
from the Catholic Church but also from other Protestant groups, finer miniscule
differences caused more splits.
John Calvin came from a legal background and stressed
the sovereignty of God. He became a formidable force in the Reformation,
molding Reformed theology. Zwingli advanced a view of the Lord's supper that is
reflected in New Testament language. The Anabaptists rediscovered immersion of
adults as the proper design of baptism. The Anglicans favored many Catholic
practices without the hierarchy. The Protestant states varied in their
attitudes toward monasteries, but there was general agreement among the
Protestants that monastic life was a mistaken form of Christian life (Mac,
2020, p. 9).
Although he held his own theological beliefs on
secondary issues, Luther’s opinions favored a basic return to the fundamental
doctrines of Christianity. Such was his purpose in proposing reform.
What occurred, however, was an unstoppable movement of believers who reformed
even secondary doctrines and extrabiblical thought. In fact, “the Protestant
Reformation has been cited by scholars of European history as contributing to
the rise of nationalism, individualism, capitalism, and secularism” (Trepanier,
2010, p. 206). Luther’s reformed arguments emphasize fundamental Christian
doctrine rather than the futility of secondary and extrabiblical issues.
Where most of
Europe saw drastic responses to reform, English Reformers took a more subtle
approach. “The early English Reformers were Catholic in their tastes, or at
least eclectic…” (Rex, 1999, p. 39). The impact of the Reformation, therefore,
was largely dependent on geographical location. It could be suggested that what
occurred in the English Reformation is perhaps closer to what Luther desired in
Wittenberg and the surrounding areas of Europe. In non-English-speaking areas:
what began as a “protest” became an advocacy for a new
understanding of religious authority and Christian practice. The impact of the
Reformation continues to be felt. Its tenets of faith ring loud and clear, even
in a world that has gone through many revolutions of thought since the 16th
century (Mac, 2020, p. 9).
Reformers surely desired changes in church doctrine and practice, none more than the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther. Nonetheless, from Luther’s teachings, writings, and actions, the exaggeration of reform saddened him, as his desire was for greater unity rather than division. Even Protestants held their differences in doctrinal issues. For example, while all Protestants opposed the Catholic Church, teaching salvation by faith alone, Calvin extended the doctrine to include that of predestination, which certainly caused further rifts in the church, even among Protestants. Anabaptists’ belief on immersion further separated the body of Christ by creating yet another group of Protestants. What was a good intention of the Reformation then, namely reform of fundamental issues, became exaggerated to the point of causing what seems to be further disunity. Considering the impact of the Reformation in this regard, it is right, therefore, to weigh the benefits against the detriments.
Overarching
Judgment of the Reformation’s Impact
The impact of the Reformation may be seen from both positive and negative perspectives depending on the topic considered. It is right, understanding centuries of knowledge post-Reformation, to judge the overarching impact of the movement, its strengths and weaknesses, and whether or not another solution would have been better. Certainly, one’s personal background influences his or her thought of the Reformation’s impact. Even Luther himself experienced questions regarding what occurred because of his 95 Theses. The three primary areas discussed here offer a compact and precise standard by which to judge the impact of the Reformation. The development’s sway on congregational worship, church unity (or lack thereof), and the level of reform should be deliberated when making a judgment. As with many historical events, one may point to both positives and negative results. The sum of all impacts, however, affords one the opportunity to make a right judgment on the outcomes of the Reformation and whether it was overall advantageous or damaging to the body of Christ.
References
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Lee,
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Loewe,
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the First Century of the Reformation. Church History, Vol. 28 (No. 1),
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Mac,
Lynn (2020). [Course syllabus for MRS 411 The Reformation]. MRS 411 The
Reformation, Nations University.
Maag,
Karin (2017). The Reformation: What Did We Gain? What Did We Lose? Retrieved
from https://www.thebanner.org/features/2017/09/the-reformation-what-did-we-gain-what-did-we-lose
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Richard (1999). The Early Impact of Reformation Theology at Cambridge
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John (2018). The Marital Covenant in John Calvin’s Geneva. Political
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